Cam system for double cylinder knitting machine

ABSTRACT

A two cylinder multifeed knitting machine having a cam system for controlling swingagle selectors and their associated needle jacks and needles; the machine is provided with a patterning device adapted to act upon the selectors and thus select needles for transfer into operative position.

O United States Patent 1191 [1 11 3,834,187 Zahradka et al. Sept. 10, 1974 [54] CAM SYSTEM FOR DOUBLE CYLINDER 2,822,760 741962 P'eberdym.i 66/14 1 N HINE ,269 11 1962 Losert eta... KN G MAC 3,283,541 11/1966 De Cerjat [751 Inventors: Pave Za a a, ;L1 3,499,300 3/1970 Zahradka 66/14 Bozejovska, Predin u Trebice; Alena Dvorakova, Trebic, all of FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Czechoslovakia 987,137 3/1965 Great Britain 66/14 1,167,418 10/1969 Great Britain 66/50 R [73] Asslgnee' 5W1}. j f i 'fe 1,199,662 7/1970 Great Britain 66/50 R 355 5 2 222 3: 5 erect 1,065,126 9/1959 Germany 66/14 [22] Filed: J 1972 Primary ExamineP-James Kee Chi [21] Appl. No.: 263,691 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Murray Schaffer [30] Foreign Application Priority Data 57 ABSTRACT l 9 I l 4 June l 71 Czechos ovakla 51271 A two cylinder multifeed knitting machine havmg a 52 us. 01. 66/14 66/50 R cam System swingagle Selectors and [51] Int Cl. D04b 9/10 Do4b 15/68 their associated needle jacks and needles; the machine 58 Field of Search. 66/14 50 R 63 50 is Provided with a Patterning device adapted to act tipon the selectors end thus select needles for transfer [56] References Cited 7 into operative pos1t1on.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 4 Claims, Drawing-Figures I 2,412,248 12/1946 Bristow 66/14 PATENIEU st? 1 0 m4 SHEEIZUF 4' PATENIEDSEPIOIRH I 3.834.187

SHEET 30$ 4 PATENTEDSEPI 0:914

SHEET t 0F 4 CAM SYSTEM FOR DOUBLE CYLINDER KNITTING MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a double cylinder circular knitting machine of the multifeed type with a cam system for controlling the selectors and jacks so as to provide for control of the needles. The machine is provided with a patterning device for selecting the needles to be moved into operative position, e.g. by means of electromagnets acting upon the control butts of swingable selectors.

Two cylinder circular knitting machines hitherto known have been provided with various types of petteming devices. Generally, each knitting feed of such machines is provided with one patterning device, and a further patterning device is provided for transferring the needles into the upper needle cylinder. Further, the two cylinder circular knitting machines hitherto known guard against the changing of needles to an upper needle cylinder if such needles were not preselected into a first knitting feed. However, where such programming is performed the operation of the patterning devices is mutually coupled.

The primary object of the present invention is to reduce the number of patterning devices and to permit independent functioning of the remaining patterning devices.

It is a further object to facilitate the discarding of the patterning device while enabling the continued usefulness of the machine despite the discarding of the patterning device.

These objects, others as well as numerous advantages will be seen from the following disclosure.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION According to the present invention there is provided a two cylinder multifeed knitting machine having a cam system for controlling swingable selectors and their associated needle jacks and needles; the machine is provided with a patterning device adapted to act upon the selectors and thus select needles for transfer into operative position; the machine comprises first lifters positioned in advance of the point at which the needles are transferred from the lower to the upper of said cylinders, the first lifters being adapted to act upon the control butts of selectors which were selected in the preceding patterning system by said patterning device and upon the needle jacks associated therewith. Stitch cam means is located in juxtaposed relation to the first lifter for the selected selectors. A second lifter for the nonselected needle jacks is provided in the direction of rotation of said needle cylinders and a path is established for passage of the control butts of the non-selected needle jacks behind the lifting edge of the second lifter below the path of the control butts of the selected jacks. The patterning device is positioned below said path adapted to select the control butts of selectors. A third lifter is mounted behind the patterning device adapted to act upon the control butts of selected selectors, the clearing edge of a stitch cam for said nonselected needle jacks being positioned in the needle jack cam system behind the lifting edge of said lifter, a space being provided below said clearing edge adapted to permit mutual contact of the non-selected needle jacks and selected selectors. A fourth lifter for the selected selectors is positioned in the direction of rotation of said needle cylinders, the fourth lifter being adapted to receive the selectors lifted by the third lifter and thus permit movement of the associated needle jacks on to a distributing lifter adapted to effect a transfer of the needles associated with the selected needle jacks to the upper cylinder. The cam system is provided for the upper needle cylinder including a further lifter for the needle jacks having a slope opposed to that of the distributing lifter whereby needles are transferred from the upper needle cylinder to the lower needle cylinder.

As will be noted from the ensuing detailed description of the invention, lifters are provided, in front of the point at which the needles of the lower needle cylinder are transferred into the upper needle cylinder. The lifters act on the selectors and their associated jacks which are selected in the preceding knitting feed by the patterning device, e.g. by means of an electromagnet, and by the stitch cam for the non-selected jacks. The path of the control butts of said non-selected jacks is situated lower and behind the lifting edge of the lifter than the path of the control butts of the selected jacks. Below said path, a patterning device, an electromagnet, for selecting the control butts of the selectors, is arranged, and behind the patterning device there is situated a lifter for the control butts of the selected selectors. Behind the lifting edge of said last-mentioned lifter is situated, in the cam system for controlling the jacks, a stitch cam having an edge for engaging the nonselected jacks. In the space below said stitch edge the non-selected jacks and selected selectors are directed into mutual contact, there being no cam arranged in 5 the path of the selected selectors. Further, in the direction of rotation of the needle cylinders there is arranged a lifter for the selected selectors which were already lifted by the preceding cam, this lifter enabling the transfer of needles into the upper needle cylinder. In the cam system of the upper needle cylinder there is arranged a lifter for the jacks sloped oppositely to the lifting edges of the two lifters in the cam system for controlling the control butts of the selected selectors, this lifter for the jacks being adapted to transfer the needles into the lower needle cylinder.

In order that the invention may be more fully comprehended it will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 represents the cam system of a first knitting feed, including an indication of the location of an electromagnet;

FIG. 2 illustrates control cams arranged intermediate the first knitting feed and a second knitting feed, with an indication of the location of another electromagnet;

FIG. 3 shows the cam system of the second knitting feed; and

FIG. 4 is a vertical section through a double cylinder knitting machine, showing the arrangement of the present invention, at line V of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are continuous of each other showing the cam systems in schematic form. It is to be understood, that in the accompanying drawings, the cam arrangement and system controlling the jacks, needles, etc. is shown schematically in developed plan view. It

being understood that the cams are actually arranged in annular structure about the needle cylinders in contact with the appropriate knitting instruments.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION Known two cylinder circular knitting machines are provided with both a lower and an upper needle cylinder, each having a plurality of longitudinal grooves axially aligned about their circumference. In the longitudinal grooves of the upper needle cylinder there are arranged jacks provided with control butts and knitting needles without control butts. In the longitudinal grooves of the lower needle cylinder there are arranged swingable selectors, jacks, and needles, again with control butts.

The general construction of double cylinder knitting machines of this type are conventional and well known to those skilled in this art. Reproduction in the drawings and description in the specification of the details of such machines is unnecessary because of this; however, if desired, reference could generally be made to Reference can-also be made to our copending application Ser. No. 2'63,65O(Case No. I247) filed 6/ 16/70 based on Czechoslovak application PV 4576-7I, filed June 21, l97l.'

The first cam'system running in the direction of the arrow for controlling the jacks A in the upper needle cylinder consists of a stitch cam 1 (FIG. 1, upper portion), a stitch cam 2 and an auxiliary cam 3. In front of thisfeed are arranged cams 4, 5, 6. This knitting feed is completed by cam 7h.

The first cam system (FIG. 1, central portion) for controlling the jacks in the lower needle cylinder consists of a guide cam 7, a left upper stitch cam 8 and a right upper stitch cam 9, a left lower stitch cam 10 and a right lower stitch cam 1 1, below which auxiliary cams 12, '13 are arranged. An auxiliary cam 14 is situated therebetween. In front of the lower cylinder cam system are situated cam 15, additional earns 16 and 17, stitch cam 18 (FIG. 1, central portion), cams 19, 20, 21, 22, (FIG. 2, central portion) lifters 23, 24, 25. (FIG. 2, central portion). Below earns 19 and 20 are arranged distributing lifters 26 and 27 having an upward slope, and cams 28, 29, 30 for controlling the lower jack butts, such as for example, those designated by x and y in the drawings. Above those cams, as seen in the upper portion of FIG. 2, are arranged a stitch cam 31 and earns 32, 33, 34, as well as lifter 35 which defines a downward slope. These latter act in the cam system for controlling the jacks in the upper needle cylinder and because of its opposite slope to that of the distributing lifters provides for the transfer of the needles from the upper cylinder to the lower cylinder. Below the cams controlling the lower needle cylinder is a selector cam system (FIG. 3, lower portion) comprising a lifter 36, a stitch cam 37, lifters 38, 39, cam 40, stitch earns 41, 42 and cam 43.

The second cam system for controlling the jacks in the upper needle cylinder consists of a stitch cam 44 (FIG. 2, upper portion), a stitch cam 45 and an auxiliary cam 46. Before this system there are arranged cam 47 for reaching the closing position, cam 48, lifter 49 and stitch cam 50 for controlling the lower control butts of the jacks.

The second cam system for controlling the jacks in the lower needle cylinder (FIG. 2) consists of a stitch cam 5 1, a stitch cam 52 and an auxiliary cam 53. Be-

fore said system are arranged stitch cam 54, cam 55 for reaching the closing position, cam 56, auxiliary cam 57,

lifter 58 (FIG. 1, central portion), stitch earns 59 and cam 60. Below said cams (FIG. 2) and the cams of the first system (FIG. 2, lower portion) cam 61, stitch cams 62, 63, lifters 64, 65, 66 (FIG. 2, lower portion) and cams 67, 68, 69 (FIG. 1, lower portion) are arranged in the selector cam system.

As seen in the Figures, the path of the control butts, jacks A and needles B are indicated by the directional arrows. Between the cams 37, 38, 40 (FIG 2. and FIG. 4) and in the path of the central butts of the selectors C, an electromagnet D is provided along axis V for selecting needles for transfer into the upper needle cylinder. Between cams 62 and 67, (FIG. 1) and also in the path of the control butts of the selectors, a further electromagnet is provided along axis V for selecting additional needles for transfer into operative position between the first and second needle cylinders.

In operation, and in order to produce a patterned knitwork the whole cam system is initially in operation except cams 25, 26 and 29; that is, these latter cams are lowered so as not to engage any jack butts. The electromagnet located along axis V selects, according to the patterning device, the selectors which are to be swung out. The non-selected selectors are lifted by means of lifters 65 and 64 in the direction of arrow A and thereby the associated jacks and needles are directed into operative position by the passage of the control butts in the direction of arrow A, (central portion FIG. 1). The jacks and associated needles thus are transferred through the second knitting system. The control butts of the selected selectors are cleared by a stitch cam 63 and pass in the direction of arrow B (lower portion FIG. 1 whereas the control butts of the jacks pass in the direction of arrow B, (central portion FIG. 1). Stitch cam 62 clears the control butts of the nonselected selectors back into the path of the control butts of the selected selectors and they move together in the direction of arrow B.

By means of lifter 36, the control butts, or the selected selectors, respectively, are lifted in the direction of arrow C (FIG. 2) and the control butts of the associated jacks raised in the direction of arrow C into the operative position and pass to the first knitting feed. The control butts of the non-selected selectors pass in the direction of arrow B, and the control butts of the jacks associated therewith pass along the lower path in the direction of arrow C and are lifted by lifter 24 and again cleared by stitch cam 18. The control butts of the selected selectors are cleared by stitch cam 37. The selectors, or their control butts, respectively, can pass, from the point of arrangement of the electromagnet along axis V in three directions. They can move along any of the directions indicated by arrows D, E, or F. The control butts of the non-selected selectors pass in the direction of arrow D. They are not lifted by lifter 38, and thus do not contact the lifter 39 and do not result in the lifting of their associated jacks on to the distributing lifter 27, without bringing the jacks to the conventional dividing cam normally provided to transfer needles into the upper needle cylinder. The control butts of the selectors, whose associated needles are to be transferred from the lower to the upper cylinder, pass in the direction of arrow E only when their jacks have proceeded in the direction of arrow C i.e. only when such jacks are selected into operative position.

When the control butts of the jacks pass in the direction of arrow C such jacks are not selected into operative activity, and if selection of their associated selectors by means of the electromagnet at axis V takes place, the jack causes a change in the path of the control butt of the selector in the direction of arrow F under the action of stitch cam 18. The selector remains selected, or swung out, respectively. Below stitch cam 42, all of the selectors, of the control butts respectively, are brought into a common path. Selectors which passed in the direction of arrows E and F are swung out and thus pass as far as the electromagnet mounted at axis V The electromagnet selects further from those selectors whose control butts have passed in the direction of arrow D according to the program and routes them to a group of selectors whose control butts have passed in the direction of arrows E and F. The whole cycle is then repeated.

in the foregoing manner it is possible to insure that only the control butts of jacks which are selected by electromagnets at the axes V and V pass along path C Such selectors are those which have been selected by the electromagnet at axis V in the preceding revolution. Thus all needles transferred in that revolution can be transferred by stitch cam 31 back to the lower needle cylinder and, if required by the pattern, reselected together with the needles whose selectors have been selected by electromagnet at axis V at the given revolution of the needle cylinder. Thus, the transfer of those needles which have not been selected by the electromagnet at axis V has been prevented. The needles therefore, cannot be damaged even in such cases where the mutual cooperation of the two electromagnets is affected.

Various modifications and embodiments will of course be evident to those skilled in this art. Accordingly, the foregoing disclosure is to be taken as illustrative only, and not limiting of the scope of the present invention. 3

What is claimed is:

l. A two cylinder multi-feed knitting machine including upper and lower needle cylinders and having a mu]- ti-component cam system for controlling the longitudinal movement of pivotal selectors and their directly associated needle jacks and needles, said machine being provided with a patterning device adapted to act upon said selectors to cause them to selectively engage components of said cam system and thus select needles for transfer into operative position; said cam system comprising first lifters positioned in advance of the point at which said needles are transferred from the lower to the .upper of said cylinders, said first lifters being adapted to act upon the control butts of selectors which were selected in the preceding patterning system by said patterning device and upon the needle jacks associated therewith, stitch cam means being located in juxtaposed relation to the first lifter for said selected selectors, a second lifter for the non-selected needle jacks being provided in the direction of rotation of the needle cylinder supporting said non-selected needle jacks, a path being established for passage of the control'butts of the non-selected needle jacks behind the lifting edge of said second lifter below the path of the control butts of the selected jacks, said patterning device being positioned below said path adapted to select the control butts of selectors, a third lifter'being mounted behind said patterning device adapted to act upon the control butts of selected selectors, the clearing edge of a stitch cam for said non-selected needle jacks being positioned in the needle jack cam system behind the lifting edge of said third lifter, a space being provided below said clearing edge adapted to permit mutual contact of the said non-selected needle jacks and selected selectors, a fourth lifter for the selected selectors being positioned in the direction of rotation of said needle cylinders, said fourth lifter being adapted to receive the selectors lifted by said third lifter and thus permit movement of the associated needle jacks on to a distributing lifter adapted to effect a transfer of the needles associated with said selected needle jacks to the said upper cylinder, a cam system being provided for said upper needle cylinder including afurther lifter for said needle jacks having a slope opposed to that of said distributing lifter wherebyneedles are transferred from said upper needle cylinder to said lower needle cylinder.

2. A two cylinder multifeed knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein said patterning device is pro. vided with electromagnetic meansfor selecting the selectors.

3. A two cylinder multifeed machine according to claim 2, wherein a first electromagnetic means is positioned along a line intermediate said first and thrid lifters and a second electromagnetic means for selecting additional selectors is positioned along a line beyond said third lifter.

4. A two cylinder multifeed machine according to claim 3, wherein a further lifter is positioned in the path of the control butts of said selected selectorsadapted to receive said butts after same have been raised by the said third lifter. 

1. A two cylinder multi-feed knitting machine including upper and lower needle cylinders and having a multi-component cam system for controlling the longitudinal movement of pivotal selectors and their directly associated needle jacks and needles, said machine being provided with a patterning device adapted to act upon said selectors to cause them to selectively engage components of said cam system and thus select needles for transfer into operative position; said cam system comprising first lifters positioned in advance of the point at which said needles are transferred from the lower to the upper of said cylinders, said first lifters being adapted to act upon the control butts of selectors which were selected in the preceding patterning system by said patterning device and upon the needle jacks associated therewith, stitch cam means being located in juxtaposed relation to the first lifter for said selected selectors, a second lifter for the non-selected needle jacks being provided in the direction of rotation of the needle cylinder supporting said non-selected needle jacks, a path being established for passage of the control butts of the non-selected needle jacks behind the lifting edge of said second lifter below the path of the control butts of the selected jacks, said patterning device being positioned below said path adapted to select the control butts of selectors, a third lifter being mounted behind said patterning device adapted to act upon the control butts of selected selectors, the clearing edge of a stitch cam for said non-selected needle jacks being positioned in the needle jack cam system behind the lifting edge of said third lifter, a space being provided below said clearing edge adapted to permit mutual contact of the said non-selected needle jacks and selected selectors, a fourth lifter for the selected selectors being positioned in the direction of rotation of said needle cylinders, said fourth lifter being adapted to receive the selectors lifted by said third lifter and thus permit movement of the associated needle jacks on to a distributing lifter adapted to effect a transfer of the needles associated with said selected needle jacks to the said upper cylinder, a cam system being provided for said upper needle cylinder including a further lifter for said needle jacks having a slope opposed to that of said distributing lifter whereby needles are transferred from said upper needle cylinder to said lower needle cylinder.
 2. A two cylinder multifeed knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein said patterning device is provided with electromagnetic means for selecting the selectors.
 3. A two cylinder multifeed machine according to claim 2, wherein a first electromagnetic means is positioned along a line intermediate said first and thrid lifters and a second electromagnetic means for selecting additional selectors is positioned along a line beyond said third lifter.
 4. A two cylinder multifeed machine according to claim 3, wherein a further lifter is positioned in the path of the control butts of said selected selectors adapted to receive said butts after same have been raised by the said third lifter. 